Information processing apparatus, storage medium supporting device, and identifier changing method

ABSTRACT

An information processing apparatus which makes it possible to accurately manage a plurality of storage media realized by cooperation with each other while maintaining a combination or combinations thereof, and manage data for each OS. A storage media supporting device removably supporting at least one storage medium is removably attached to the information processing apparatus. When the storage media supporting device is attached to the information processing apparatus, the storage media housed in the storage media supporting device is electrically connected to the information processing apparatus. The contents of data stored in the storage media are detected, and a visible identifier provided on the storage media supporting device is changed into a state corresponding to the detection result.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to an information processing apparatussuch as a server or a personal computer, a storage media supportingdevice which can be inserted into and ejected from the informationprocessing apparatus, and to and from which storage media such as harddisk drives can be inserted and ejected, and a method of changing anidentifier which is provided in the storage media supporting device.

2. Description of the Related Art

With the recent advancement of information society, some informationprocessing apparatuses such as servers or personal computers have becomecapable of housing a plurality of storage media such as hard diskdrives. Namely, an information processing apparatus capable of housing aplurality of storage media has been developed so as to deal with anincrease in the amount of data to be processed, or to construct a RAID(Redundant Arrays of Inexpensive Disks) system to thereby respond toaddition of a data backup function of automatically recovering data on adefective storage medium on a spare storage medium using redundant dataand automatically copying the recovered data on the spare storage mediumto another storage medium.

The information processing apparatus capable of housing a plurality ofstorage media is provided with a mechanism for inserting and ejectingthe plurality of storage media into and from the information processingapparatus, so that the plurality of storage media can be stored evenoutside the information processing apparatus. This makes it possible tosafely store a larger amount of data or a wider variety of data.

To store a plurality of storage media, which has been removed from theinformation processing apparatus capable of housing a plurality ofstorage media, outside the information processing apparatus, it isnecessary to manage the plurality of storage media with the contents ofdata stored therein identified, but conventionally, the storage mediaare separately managed according to e.g. respective labels attachedthereto.

Also, a hard disk device which is removably attached to an informationprocessing apparatus has been conventionally proposed (refer to JapaneseLaid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2001-291312).

However, in a system realized by cooperation between a plurality ofstorage media, such as the above-mentioned RAID system, if a pluralityof storage media are stored and managed outside an informationprocessing apparatus, storing the storage media with respectiveidentifiers provided thereon is not effective in terms of management.

This is because a plurality of storage media realized by cooperationwith each other should be stored with their combination or combinationsbeing maintained even outside the information processing apparatus, andit is more effective to manage the combination of the storage mediaaccording to an identifier or identifiers provided on the combination orcombinations. Also, data created by different OSs (operating systems)can be easily managed if they are stored and identified according to thecombinations of the OSs and the data.

Further, in the above described conventional method in which storagemedia are stored and managed according to respective identifiers such aslabels attached thereto, data stored in the storage medium cannot bedetected or discriminated before the storage media stored and managedoutside the information processing apparatus are inserted into andactivated in the information processing apparatus. Therefore, it isimpossible to prepare in advance a starting process (i.e. a process forstarting the information processing apparatus and starting reading datafrom and/or writing data into the storage media) suitable for the datastored in the storage media.

Further, the above conventional RAID system is incorporated in advanceinto the main body of an information processing apparatus, but there hasalso been proposed a RAID system in which a plurality of storage mediaare configured as a unit, and collectively attached to and removed fromthe main body of an information processing apparatus. In this RAIDsystem, the storage media can be easily attached and removed, andeffectively managed even off-line outside the main body of theinformation processing apparatus (refer to Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication (Kokai) No. H11-282636, for example).

Further, since the above conventional RAID system is arranged such thata plurality of storage media back up data for each other, and hence thestorage media constituting the RAID system must be capable of normallyoperating, and it is necessary to immediately replace defective storagemedia. If defective storage media are left as they are, informationstored in the RAID system may not be read out. Therefore, a RAID systemhas been proposed which is configured such that if there is anydefective storage medium among a plurality of storage media, thedefective storage medium removably connected to a data path by a failuredetermining means is released, and is protruded from the front face ofthe housing of the information processing apparatus by an urging means(refer to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. H10-198527,for example). Thus, this RAID system facilitates replacement byidentifying a defective storage medium among a plurality of storagemedia which can be removably attached to the information processingapparatus.

In the former RAID system disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication (Kokai) No. H11-282636, when the presence of a defectivestorage medium is detected among a plurality of storage mediaincorporated in a removable unit intended to collectively attach/removethe storage media to/from the information processing apparatus, a userhas to know failure information and know the location of the defectivestorage medium via a display means such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube)provided in the information processing apparatus, since there is nomeans for displaying failure information. In this case, if the locationwhere the removable unit is housed in the information processingapparatus is away from the location of the display means such as a CRT,or if the display means cannot be seen when the removable unit isejected from the information processing apparatus, the user has toidentify and eject the defective storage medium by following his/hermemory of the location of the defective storage medium indicated by thedisplay means, and therefore, in many cases, he/she ejects and discardsa non-defective storage medium without ejecting defective storage mediumdue to selection error caused by memory slip.

Also, in the latter RAID system disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open PatentPublication (Kokai) No. H10-198527, an actuator such as an electromagnetreleases a defective storage medium from a hook via which it is hookedto the housing, so that the defective storage medium is removed.Therefore, to remove a specific storage medium among a plurality ofstorage media, it is necessary to carry out such a complex operationthat the electromagnetic is activated to release the storage medium fromthe hook. Furthermore, to remove and store storage media in a safe placeso as to ensure security, it is necessary to repeatedly release thestorage media from hooks a number of times corresponding to the numberof storage media. Further, when it is impossible to release a defectivestorage medium due to a failure in a controller for the RAID system, thedefective storage medium is forced to be left in the state of beinghooked. The same problem arises when it is impossible to start the RAIDsystem due to e.g. blackout. Further, if a plurality of storage mediarealized by cooperation with each other are separately stored, there isthe possibility that some storage media are mixed up with other storagemedia.

Further, the former RAID system has a problem as below if the removableunit is stored in the state removed from the information processingapparatus, or if a plurality of users share the removable unit.Specifically, since a plurality of removable storage media are housed inthe removable unit, the entire removable unit may malfunction when someof the storage media are removed from the removable unit due to theft orloss, or other unexpected storage media are attached to the removableunit, or the positions of storage media in the removable unit arechanged. If a physical key is provided for the removable unit so as toaddress this problem, a large number of physical keys must be preparedif a large number of removable units are used in e.g. a company, andthis complicates management of removable units. Further, if a cover withan electronic lock is attached to an information processing apparatus asdisclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No.2000-194448, a removable unit must be stored and managed in the stateattached to the information processing apparatus, and this raises aproblem in terms of information security.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is a first object of the present invention to provide an informationprocessing apparatus, a storage media supporting device, and anidentifier changing method, which make it possible to accurately managea plurality of storage media realized by cooperation with each otherwhile maintaining a combination or combinations thereof, and manage datafor each OS.

It is a second object of the present invention to provide a storagemedia supporting device which makes it possible to clearly specify adefective storage medium at the time of removal thereof withoutproviding an electric driving source or depending on a display meanssuch as a CRT.

It is a third object of the present invention to provide a storage mediasupporting device which can be easily managed while securing informationsecurity.

To attain the first object, in a first aspect of the present invention,there is provided an information processing apparatus to which a storagemedia supporting device supporting at least one storage medium isremovably attached, comprising connecting means for electricallyconnecting to the storage medium within the storage media supportingdevice when the storage media supporting device is attached to theinformation processing apparatus, contents detecting means for detectingcontents of data stored in the storage medium via the connecting means,and control means for changing a visible identifier provided on thestorage media supporting device into a state corresponding to a resultof detection by the contents detecting means.

To attain the first object, in a second aspect of the present invention,there is provided a storage media supporting device that supports atleast one storage medium and is removably attached to an informationprocessing apparatus, comprising a housing, a visible identifierprovided on the housing, and transmitting means for transmittingcontents of data stored in the storage medium to the informationprocessing apparatus according to control provided by the informationprocessing apparatus when the storage media supporting device isattached to the information processing apparatus, wherein the identifieris changed according to control provided by the information processingapparatus into a state corresponding to a result of detection by theinformation processing apparatus based on the contents of datatransmitted by the transmitting means.

To attain the first object, in a third aspect of the present invention,there is provided an identifier changing method executed by aninformation processing apparatus to which a storage media supportingdevice supporting at least one storage medium is removably attached,comprising the steps of electrically connecting the informationprocessing apparatus to the storage medium within the storage mediasupporting device when the storage media supporting device is attachedto the information processing apparatus, detecting contents of datastored in the storage medium, and changing a visible identifier providedon the storage media supporting device into a state corresponding to aresult of detection at the detecting step.

To attain the second object, in a fourth aspect of the presentinvention, there is provided a storage media supporting device includinga housing section which houses a plurality of storage media, the storagemedia supporting device removably attaching the plurality of storagemedia to an information processing apparatus, comprising urging meansfor causing elastic members to separately displace respective ones ofthe plurality of storage media in an ejecting direction from the housingsection, and switching means for switching between an inhibited state inwhich the urging means is inhibited from displacing the storage media,and a permitted state in which the urging means is permitted to displacethe storage media, wherein when detecting means provided in theinformation processing apparatus, for detecting a defective storagemedium, detects a defective storage medium, operating means provided inthe information processing apparatus causes the switching means toswitch the defective storage medium into the permitted state, and whenthe storage media supporting device is removed from the informationprocessing apparatus, the defective storage medium projects from thehousing section.

To attain the second object, in a fifth aspect of the present invention,there is provided a storage media supporting device comprising housingmeans for separately housing a plurality of storage media, urging meansfor urging each of the plurality of storage media to be displaced in anejecting direction from the housing means, cover means for covering thehousing section, and restricting means for separately restrictingdisplacement of the storage media by the urging means, wherein, when thecover means is opened, a storage medium unrestricted by the restrictingmeans is displaced in the ejecting direction from the housing means.

To attain the third object, in a sixth aspect of the present invention,there is provided a storage media supporting device including a housingsection which houses a plurality of storage media, the storage mediasupporting device removably attaching the plurality of storage media toan information processing apparatus, comprising an openable and closablecover provided at an entrance of the housing section, for restrictingejection of the plurality of storage media, and switching means operablewhen the openable and closable cover is closed, to selectively switchbetween a released state in which the openable and closable cover can beopened, and an inhibited state in which the openable and closable covercannot be opened, wherein whether the opening/closing cover can beopened when the storage media supporting device is removed from theinformation processing apparatus is determined in a state in which thestorage media supporting device is attached to the informationprocessing apparatus.

The above and other objects, features, and advantages of the inventionwill become more apparent from the following detailed description takenin conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective cutaway view showing an information processingapparatus to which a storage media supporting device according to afirst embodiment of the present invention is attached;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the storage mediasupporting device is being discharged from the information processingapparatus;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the storage media supporting devicein which a display part indicates the presence of system data in storagemedia;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing the storage media supporting devicein which the display part indicates the absence of system data instorage media;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing the storage media supporting deviceaccording to the first embodiment, from which a storage medium has beenejected;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partially cutaway, showing the informationprocessing apparatus to which the storage media supporting deviceaccording to the first embodiment is attached;

FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the construction of theinformation processing apparatus in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, partially cutaway, showing the informationprocessing apparatus to which the storage media supporting deviceaccording to the first embodiment is attached;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing essential parts of the informationprocessing apparatus of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which a removable unit as a storagemedia supporting device according to a second embodiment of the presentinvention is attached to/removed from an information processingapparatus;

FIG. 11 is a view showing the internal construction of anattachment/removal section appearing in FIG. 10;

FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the removable unit in FIG. 10 andstorage media housed in the removable unit;

FIG. 13 is a perspective view showing connectors for connecting thehoused storage medium to the information processing apparatus;

FIG. 14 is a view showing a state in which a cover for the removableunit appearing in FIG. 12 is opened to house the storage media inhousing sections of the removable unit;

FIG. 15 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing alock/release mechanism of the removable unit according to the secondembodiment;

FIG. 16 is a fragmentary perspective view showing, on an enlarged scale,the lock/release mechanism and an urging mechanism appearing in FIG. 15;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view, partially broken away, showing theremovable unit according to the second embodiment attached to theinformation processing apparatus, and the interior of the informationprocessing apparatus;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view showing a state in which the removableunit according to the second embodiment is removed from the main body ofthe information processing apparatus, and the cover for the removableunit is opened;

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing control functional blocks of theinformation processing apparatus in FIG. 10 and the storage media housedin the removable unit;

FIGS. 20A and 20B are partially broken-away views showing anotherexample of a lock member appearing in FIG. 16;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view showing a state in which a removable unitas a storage media supporting device according to a third embodiment ofthe present invention is housed in a unit housing section;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view showing a state in which the removableunit in FIG. 22 has been removed from the unit housing section;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view showing the construction of the unithousing section appearing in FIG. 22;

FIG. 24 is a perspective view showing the construction of the removableunit appearing in FIG. 21;

FIG. 25 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a state in which theremovable unit appearing in FIG. 21 is removed from the main body of aninformation processing apparatus;

FIG. 26 is a perspective view showing a lock mechanism in a state inwhich a cover for the removable unit according to the third embodimentis closed and locked;

FIG. 27 is a side view showing the lock mechanism appearing in FIG. 26;

FIG. 28 is a perspective view showing the lock mechanism in a state inwhich a solenoid is operated in the removable unit according to thethird embodiment;

FIG. 29 is a side view showing the lock mechanism appearing in FIG. 28;

FIG. 30 is a perspective view showing the lock mechanism in a state inwhich the cover is opened in the removable unit according to the thirdembodiment;

FIG. 31 is a plan view showing the lock mechanism appearing in FIG. 30;

FIG. 32 is a flow chart showing a removable unit cover controllingprocess which is carried out when the removable unit according to thethird embodiment is attached to/removed from the information processingapparatus; and

FIGS. 33A and 33B are diagrams useful in explaining operations performedby the user when he/she removes the removable unit according to thethird embodiment in a state in which the cover can be opened.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The present invention will now be described in detail with reference tothe drawings showing preferred embodiments thereof.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view, partially cutaway, showing an informationprocessing apparatus 11 to which a storage media supporting device 17according to a first embodiment of the present invention is attached.

As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing apparatus 11 isimplemented by a computer or a database system, and a housing for theinformation processing apparatus 11 is comprised of a front panel 12, anouter cover 13, an opening 14, and various connector jacks 16.

The front panel 12 is provided at the front of the informationprocessing apparatus 11, and includes a display section for displayingthe operative status of the information processing apparatus 11 and anoperating section for instructing the information processing apparatus11 to carry out operations. The outer cover 13 is provided on top of theinformation processing apparatus 11, and is capable of being opened andclosed (refer to FIG. 2). The opening 14 is for inserting and ejectingthe storage media supporting device 17, and is opened and closed by theouter cover 13. The connector jacks 16 are for connecting otherelectronic devices to the information processing apparatus 11 so as tosend and receive various kinds of data as described below.

The storage media supporting device 17 is attached to the informationprocessing apparatus 11 such that it can be inserted into and ejectedfrom (attached to and removed from) the information processing apparatus11. A plurality of (e.g. four) storage media 15 are supported in thestorage media supporting device 17. The storage media 15 can be insertedinto and ejected from (attached to and removed from) the storage mediasupporting device 17, and store electronic data accumulated in variouselectronic devices such as an electronic data book and an electroniccamera, application programs, or OS system data, for example. Theinformation processing apparatus 11 reads and writes such data from andinto the storage media 15.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing a state in which the storage mediasupporting device 17 is being ejected from the information processingapparatus 11.

As shown in FIG. 2, the storage media supporting device 17 isbasket-shaped so as to collectively support (house) the plurality ofstorage media 15, and is provided with storage medium housing sections19 provided for the respective storage media 15, a handle 18, and adisplay part 21 (identifier). The handle 18 can be folded (refer to FIG.1), and is provided on top of the storage media supporting device 17such that it can rotate about mounting sections 18 a and 18 b. Byopening the outer cover 13 and holding the handle 18, the user canattach/remove the storage media supporting device 17 to/from theinformation processing apparatus 11 via the opening 14. The display part21 will be described later.

When the storage media supporting device 17 is attached to theinformation processing apparatus 11, the plurality of storage media 15supported in the storage media supporting device 17 are electricallyconnected to respective corresponding connectors, not shown, provided inthe information processing apparatus 11. With this electric connection,a CPU, described later, of the information processing apparatus 11 candetect the contents of various kinds of data stored in the storage media15, and can also read and write various kinds of data to and from therespective storage media 15.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the storage media supporting device17 in which the display part 21 indicates the presence of system data inthe storage media 15, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing thestorage media supporting device 17 in which the display part 21indicates the absence of system data in the storage media 15.

As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the storage media supporting device 17 isprovided with the display part 21 which is e.g. cylindrical (refer toFIG. 8), for displaying the setting condition of the RAID system, and adial 22. The display part 21 is disposed so as to be viewed from outsidethrough a cutout section 20 formed in a housing for the storage mediasupporting device 17. The dial 22 is connected to the display part 21(refer to FIG. 6). The display part 21 can be manually rotated byturning the dial 22 with a finger, or automatically rotated via astepping motor 25, described later.

Also, the display part 21 has a rotary surface thereof formed with aplurality of display patterns. For example, the display part 21 canindicate what kind of data is stored in storage medium supported in thestorage media supporting device 17, i.e. whether the storage media areRAID system disks storing data for activating the RAID system, datadisks storing normal data, unused disks, or other disks. It may beconfigured such that the display patterns on the display part 21 areoptically read, or are mechanically recognized using irregularitiesformed on surfaces of the display patterns.

As is apparent from FIGS. 3 and 4, the display pattern (e.g. tworectangular patterns are arranged) in FIG. 3 and the display pattern(e.g. three rectangular patterns are arranged) in FIG. 4 are different.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a state in which a storage medium15 has been ejected from the storage media supporting device 17.

As shown in FIG. 5, a plurality of eject buttons 23 corresponding to theplurality of storage medium housing sections 19 are arranged on theupper surface of the storage media supporting device 17. By depressingany of the eject buttons 23, the operator can eject and replace thecorresponding storage medium 15 housed in the storage medium housingsection 19. Similarly, the other storage media 15 housed in the otherstorage medium storage sections 19 can be replaced by depressing therespective corresponding eject buttons 23.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view, partially cutaway, showing the informationprocessing apparatus 11 to which the storage media supporting device 17is attached.

As shown in FIG. 6, the information processing apparatus 11 is providedwith a rotor 24, a stepping motor 25, and a display pattern detector 26.

The rotor 24 is configured to come into contact with the dial 22connected to the display part 21 of the storage media supporting device17 in the state in which the storage media supporting device 17 isattached to the information processing apparatus 11. The dial 22 ismanually rotatable (with a finger) as mentioned above, and the surfacethereof is knurled or grooved, for example. The rotor 24 is alsorotatable by the stepping motor 25, and the surface thereof is knurledor grooved, for example, similarly to the dial 22. This facilitates thetransmission of a rotational force between the rotor 24 and the dial 22.

It should be noted that the dial 22 and the rotor 24 may be providedwith respective gears, not shown, so that the rotational force can betransmitted by engagement of the gears. In this case, the reduction gearratio can be freely set according to the number of teeth of the gears.

The stepping motor 25 is connected to the rotor 24. The transmission ofmotor torque to the rotor 24 rotatively drives the rotor 24 to rotatethe display part 21 via the rotor 24 and the dial 22. The displaypattern detector 26 is for detecting the display pattern of the displaypart 21 in an arbitrary way e.g. optically, mechanically, orelectrically.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram schematically showing the construction of theinformation processing apparatus 11.

As shown in FIG. 7, the information processing apparatus 11 is comprisedof a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 41, a ROM (Read-Only Memory) 42, aRAM (Random Access Memory) 43, an input/output section 44, the displaypattern detector 26, a display section 45, and an operating section 46.

The CPU 41 controls the overall operation of the information processingapparatus 11, and provides various kinds of control as described later;for example, through the above-mentioned connectors, the CPU 41 detectsthe contents of data stored in the storage media 15 supported in thestorage media supporting device 17 in the state in which the storagemedia supporting device 17 is attached to the information processingapparatus 11, and rotatively drives the stepping motor 25 according tothe detection result to set the display pattern of the display part 21.The ROM 42 stores control programs to be executed by the CPU 41 andfixed data. The RAM 43 serves as a work area for operations of the CPU41, and a temporary data storage region.

The input/output section 44 controls the input/output of data to/fromthe storage media 15 supported in the storage media supporting device 17attached to the information processing apparatus 11, and includes theabove-mentioned connectors. The display pattern detector 26 detects thedisplay pattern of the display part 21 provided in the storage mediasupporting device 17. The display section 45 displays the operativestatus of the information processing apparatus 11. The operating section46 is for instructing the information processing apparatus 11 to carryout various operations. The display section 45 and the operating section46 correspond to the display section and the operating sectionconstituting the front panel section 12 described previously withreference to FIGS. 1 and 2. In FIG. 7, only one storage medium 15 isillustrated for the convenience of explanation.

The storage media supporting device 17 has a function of transmittingthe contents of data stored in the storage media 15 housed in thestorage media supporting device 17 to the information processingapparatus 11 according to detection signals output from theabove-mentioned connectors in the state in which the storage mediasupporting device 17 is attached to the information processing apparatus11.

A description will now be given of the operations of the informationprocessing apparatus 11 and the storage media supporting apparatus 17.

When the storage media supporting device 17 supporting (housing) theplurality of storage media 15 is attached to the information processingapparatus 11, the storage media 15 supported in the storage mediasupporting device 17 are electrically connected to the respectiveconnectors provided in the information processing apparatus 11, asdescribed previously with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. The CPU 41 of theinformation processing apparatus 11 detects the contents of data storedin the storage media 15, and checks whether or not at least one of thestorage media 15 stores system data for activating the RAID system.

The CPU 41 of the information processing apparatus 11 provides controlto set the display pattern of the display part 21 provided in thestorage media supporting device 17 so as to indicate that the RAIDsystem is set (i.e. there is system data), or the RAID system is not set(i.e. there is no system data). Here, FIG. 3 shows the display patternwhich indicates that at least one of the storage media 15 stores systemdata, and FIG. 4 shows the display pattern which indicates that at leastone of the storage media 15 stores no system data.

Specifically, running the stepping motor 25 in accordance with aninstruction from the CPU 41 of the information processing apparatus 11rotates the display part 21 to a predetermined position via the rotor 24and the dial 22. When the display pattern detector 26 detects thedisplay pattern of the display part 21 at the predetermined position,the stepping motor 25 is stopped.

In this case, the display pattern detector 26 detects the phase,displacement, symbol (identification mark), color, etc. of the displaypattern, as well as the shape as in the present embodiment. Also, asmentioned above, the display pattern detector 26 can detect the displaypattern of the display part 21 in an arbitrary way e.g. optically,mechanically, or electrically.

When the operator ejects the storage media supporting device 17 from theinformation processing apparatus 11 in the state in which the displaypattern of the display part 21 of the storage media supporting device 17is set as above, he/she can confirm the setting condition of the RAIDsystem of the storage media supporting device 17 by looking at thedisplay pattern of the display part 21 as described before withreference to FIGS. 3 and 4. Even if there are a plurality of storagemedia supporting devices 17, it is possible to determine the settingcondition of the RAID system of each storage media supporting device 17by referring to the display pattern of the display part 21. This is veryconvenient.

Further, when the operator attaches the ejected storage media supportingdevice 17 to the information processing apparatus 11, the informationprocessing apparatus 11 causes the display pattern detector 26 to detectthe display pattern of the display part 21 first. As a result, the CPU41 of the information processing apparatus 11 confirms the settingcondition of the RAID system of the storage media supporting device 17,and checks whether there is system data or not. The CPU 41 selects theway of accessing each of the storage media 15 according to the detectionresult. Therefore, after the storage media supporting device 41supporting the plurality of storage media 15 is attached to theinformation processing apparatus 11, each of the storage media 15 can beinhibited from being suddenly accessed in an improper way, and thisensures security for data stored in the storage media 15.

Further, in the case where the operator replaces a storage medium in thestorage media supporting device 17 with another storage medium, thedisplay pattern of the display part 21 can be changed according to e.g.the setting condition of the other storage medium. Specifically, theoperator rotates the dial 22 of the storage media supporting device 17so that the display part 21 connected to the dial 22 is rotated tochange the display pattern.

There may be the possibility that the display pattern of the displaypart 21 is changed due to the operator's error in the state in which thestorage media supporting device 17 has been removed from the informationprocessing apparatus 11. In this case, the following measure can betaken, for example.

FIG. 8 is a perspective partially cutaway view showing the informationprocessing apparatus 11 to which the storage media supporting device 17is attached, and FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing essential parts ofthe information processing apparatus 11 in FIG. 8. It should be notedthat the dial 22, the rotor 24, the display pattern detector 26, and soforth arranged around the display part 21 are identical in constructionwith those illustrated in FIG. 6.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 9, display part stop holes 31 are formed in aside surface of the display part 21, and shaped suitably for the phasesof the respective display patterns. A lock pin 32 is for stopping therotation of the display part 21 by engaging with any of the display partstop holes 31. A lock plate 33 provided with the lock pin 32 is disposedwithin the storage media supporting device 17 such that it can linearlymove forward and backward in a horizontal direction as indicated by anarrow in FIG. 9. A lock plate moving motor 34 is disposed within theinformation processing apparatus 11, for moving the lock plate 33, andis capable of rotating forward and backward.

A lock plate moving lever 35 is connected to the rotary shaft of thelock plate moving motor section 34, and has an end thereof engaged withthe lock plate 33 through a gap in a side of the storage mediasupporting device 17. An eject restricting section 36 is provided on thelock plate 33, and is comprised of restricting parts and non-restrictingparts. Eject levers 37 are connected to the respective eject buttons 23,and are formed with cutouts at locations corresponding to therestricting parts of the eject restricting section 36. A descriptionwill now be given of the operations of the information processingapparatus 11 and the storage media supporting device 17. Before thestorage media supporting device 17 is removed from the informationprocessing apparatus 11, in accordance with an instruction from theoperator through the front panel 12 of the information processingapparatus 11, the CPU 41 of the information processing apparatus 11makes a setting in advance such that the display pattern of the displaypart 21 can be manually changed or cannot be manually changed in thestate in which the storage media supporting device 17 has been removedfrom the information processing apparatus 11.

If a setting is made such that the display pattern of the display part21 can be manually changed, the lock plate moving motor 34 rotatesforward (clockwise as viewed from the direction of the rotary shaft ofthe motor 34 in FIG. 9) to move the lock plate 33 via the lock platemoving lever 35. This causes an end of the lock pin 32 to be releasedfrom the display part stop hole 31, to allow the display part 21 torotate, so that the display pattern of the display part 21 can bemanually changed. Subsequently, the lock plate moving motor 34 causesthe lock plate rotating lever 35 to rotate to a retracted position (aposition reached after being rotated 180° from the position indicated inFIG. 9), and therefore, the lock plate moving lever 35 and the storagemedia supporting device 17 do not interfere with each other when thestorage media supporting device 17 is ejected from the informationprocessing apparatus 11.

The movement (leftward as viewed in FIG. 9) of the lock plate 33 on thisoccasion causes the non-restricting parts of the eject restrictingsection 36 and the cutouts of the eject levers 37 to face each other,which enables depression of the eject buttons 23. This makes it possibleto manually change the display pattern of the display part 21, and toreplace the storage media 15 in the storage media supporting device 17.

If a setting is made such that the display pattern of the display part21 cannot be manually changed, the lock plate moving motor 34 rotatesbackward (counterclockwise as viewed from the direction of the rotaryshaft of the motor 34 in FIG. 9) to move the lock plate 33 in adirection opposite to the direction as mentioned above via the lockplate moving lever 35. This causes the end of the lock pin 32 to engagewith the display part stop hole 31, to inhibit rotation of the displaypart 21. This makes it impossible to manually change the display patternof the display part 21. Subsequently, the lock plate moving motor 34causes the lock plate rotating lever 35 to rotate to the retractedposition, and therefore, the lock plate moving lever 35 and the storagemedia supporting device 17 do not interfere with each other when thestorage media supporting device 17 is ejected from the informationprocessing apparatus 11.

The movement (rightward as viewed in FIG. 9) of the lock plate 33 onthis occasion causes the restricting parts of the eject restrictingsection 36 and the cutouts of the eject levers 37 to face each other,making it impossible to depress the eject buttons 23. As a result, it ispossible to prevent the display pattern of the display part from beingchanged due to the operator's error, and inhibit replacement of thestorage media 15 in the storage media supporting device 17, so that thedisplay pattern of the display part 21 and the corresponding settingstate can be kept consistent with each other.

A description will now be given of another example of measures which canbe taken to cope with the case where there is the possibility that thedisplay pattern of the display part 21 in the storage media supportingdevice 17 is changed due to an operator's error.

In ejecting a certain storage medium from the storage media supportingdevice 17 and replacing it with another storage medium, when theoperator depresses a certain eject button 23 of the storage mediasupporting device 17, the display part 21 rotates in response to thedepression of the eject button 23, so that a different display pattern(which indicates that at least one storage medium has been ejected) fromthe display patterns shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 is displayed. Theinformation processing apparatus 11 may be configured such that, if thestorage media supporting device 17 set to this display pattern issubsequently attached to the information processing apparatus 11,default processing is started with checking whether or not there issystem data in storage media within the storage media supporting device17 according to the display pattern detected by the display patterndetector 26. Therefore, it is possible to cope with the case where thereis the possibility that the display pattern of the display part ischanged due to an operator's error.

According to the present embodiment described above, various effects asdescribed below can be obtained.

Since the display pattern of the display part 21 which is provided inthe storage media supporting device 17 attached to the informationprocessing apparatus 11 and is disposed to be viewed from outside is setto a state corresponding to detected contents of data stored in storagemedia within the storage media supporting device 17 (if system data foractivating the RAID system is stored in at least one of the plurality ofstorage media, the display pattern is set to indicate the presence ofthe system data), the information processing apparatus 11 can showdisplay patterns of the display part 21 to e.g. identify a combinationof a plurality of storage media within the storage media supportingdevice 17 (for example, whether a plurality of storage media are acombination of RAID systems, and whether data stored in storage mediaare data created by another OS), or indicate that data stored in storagemedia have been changed to other data (for example, an OS is replaced,and new data is stored in storage media), and the display patterns canbe confirmed from the outside of the information processing apparatus11. Therefore, it is possible to accurately manage a plurality ofstorage media realized by cooperation with each other, and manage datafor each OS.

Further, since the way of accessing storage media within the storagemedia supporting device 17 is selected according to the display patternof the display part 21 of the storage media supporting device 17, whichis detected by the display pattern detector 26 of the informationprocessing apparatus 11, it is possible to prevent the informationprocessing apparatus 11 from suddenly accessing storage media within thestorage media supporting device 17 in an improper way, and this ensuressecurity for data stored in the storage media.

Further, the display pattern of the display part 21 in the storage mediasupporting device 17 is set in association with data stored in a singlestorage medium or a plurality of storage media stored and managedoutside the information processing apparatus 11 or a combination ofstorage media, and when the storage medium supporting device 17supporting the single storage medium or the plurality of storage mediais attached to the information processing apparatus 11, the informationprocessing apparatus 11 detects the display pattern of the display part21 in the storage media supporting device 17. Therefore, the informationprocessing apparatus 11 can prepare in advance a starting process (inwhich the information processing apparatus 11 is started, and data iswritten to/read from storage media) suitable for data stored in storagemedia within the storage media supporting device 17, and quickly startwriting/reading data to/from the storage media.

Further, since whether or not the display pattern of the display part 21is to be manually changeable in the state in which the storage mediasupporting device 17 has been removed from the information processingapparatus 11 can be set through operation of the information processingapparatus 11, there is no risk that a combination of storage media or asingle storage medium stored and managed outside the informationprocessing apparatus 11 after the data is stored in the informationprocessing apparatus 11 is stored in the storage media supporting device17, and then the storage media supporting device 17 is attached toanother information processing apparatus to change data.

Further, even in the case where data is changed outside the informationprocessing apparatus, i.e. in the case where data stored in a storagemedium is copied to another storage medium, or the storage medium isreplaced with another storage medium, due to the expiration date of thestorage media stored and managed outside the information processingapparatus or the like, the storage media are stored and managed inassociation with the change in the data, and therefore the displaypattern of the display part 21 in the storage media supporting device 17can be manually changed outside the information processing apparatus 11.

Further, in the case where it is configured such that the displaypattern of the display part 21 in the storage media supporting device 17cannot be manually changed in the state in which the storage mediasupporting device 17 has been removed from the information processingapparatus 11, storage media are inhibited from being singly ejected fromthe storage medium supporting device 17, and therefore the displaypattern of the display part 21 and the corresponding setting conditioncan be kept consistent with each other.

Further, when a storage medium is singly ejected from the storage mediasupporting device 17 attached to the information processing apparatus11, the display part 21 of the storage media supporting device 17indicates the ejection of at least one storage medium from the storagemedia supporting device 17 by its display pattern, and therefore it ispossible to cope with the case where there is the possibility that thedisplay pattern of the display part 21 is changed due to an operator'serror.

Although in the present embodiment, the display pattern of the displaypart 21 disposed in the storage media supporting device 17 isrectangular as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, this is not limitative, but thedisplay pattern may be arbitrarily shaped (e.g. circular). Further, thedisplay pattern may be represented by a symbol such as a mark, as wellas by color. Further, although in the present embodiment, the displaypart 21 is cylindrical, this is not limitative, but the display part 21may be arbitrarily shaped (e.g. triangle pole-shaped or squarepole-shaped).

Further, although in the present embodiment, the storage mediasupporting device 17 is attached and removed to and from the informationprocessing apparatus 11 from the upper surface of the housing, this isnot limitative, but for example, the storage media supporting device 17may be attached and removed to and from the information processingapparatus 11 from a surface opposite to the surface where the frontpanel 12 is disposed. In this case, the opening 14 with the outer cover13 at the top of the housing should be provided for replacement ofstorage media in the storage media supporting device 17.

Further, in the present embodiment, the display pattern of the displaypart 21 disposed in the storage media supporting device 17 attached tothe information processing apparatus 11, which is detected by thedisplay pattern detector 26, may be displayed in the front panel 12 ofthe information processing apparatus 11.

A description will now be given of a storage media supporting deviceaccording to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a view showing a state in which a removable unit 101 as thestorage media supporting device according to the present embodiment isattached to/removed from an information processing apparatus 107. FIG.11 is a view showing the internal construction of an attachment/removalsection 107 a, FIG. 12 is a perspective view showing the removable unit101 and storage media housed in the removable unit 101, and FIG. 13 is aperspective view showing connectors for connecting the housed storagemedium to the information processing apparatus 107.

As shown in FIGS. 10 to 13, the information processing apparatus 107 isprovided with the attachment/removal section 107 a for attachment of theremovable unit 101, which can be removably attached to theattachment/removal section 107 a. In attaching/removing the removableunit 101, inner surfaces of the attachment/removal section,107 a, whichare in contact with the removable unit 101, guide the outer periphery ofthe removal unit 101 so that the removable unit can be placed at apredetermined location of the information processing apparatus 107. Asubstrate 112 is provided at the bottom of the attachment/removalsection 107 a in a fashion being opposed to the removable unit 101attached to the information processing apparatus 107, and receptacleconnectors 108 to 111 are mounted on the surface of the substrate 112.

The removable unit 101 is also provided with a grip section 102 b so asto be carried by hand and easily attached and removed. The grip section102 b includes a holding section 102 b 2, which is rotated substantially90° about a rotation center 102 b 1 and in such a direction as to getthe holding section 102 b 2 away from the removable unit 101, so thatthe grip section 102 b can be gripped. The operator holds the holdingsection 102 b 2 of the grip section 102 b to hold the removable unit101, and attaches/removes it to/from the information processingapparatus 107.

Four storage media 103 to 106 are housed in the removable unit 101. Thestorage media 103 to 106 are mounted in the information processingapparatus 107 via the removable unit 101, and cooperate with each otherto constitute a RAID system which records data. Four openings 101 a areformed in a surface of the removable unit 101, which is opposed to thegrip section 102 b, and connectors 103 a to 106 a for externalconnection, which are exclusively provided on the respective storagemedia 103 to 106, are exposed from the openings 101 a. When theremovable unit 101 housing the storage media 103 to 106 therein isattached to the attachment/removal section 107 a, the connectors 103 ato 106 a are engaged with and electrically connected to the respectivereceptacle connectors 108 to 111 provided in the information processingapparatus 107. The storage media 103 to 106 within the removable unit101 are guided to be positioned within respective predeterminedpositional ranges by surfaces of a housing section 100 (refer to FIG.14), described later, of the removable unit 101, which surfaces are incontact with the storage media 103 to 106. Also, the removable unit 101is guided to be positioned within a predetermined positional range inthe attachment/removal section 107 a. Therefore, the connectors 103 a to106 a of the respective storage media 103 to 106 housed in theattachment/removal section 101 can be accurately engaged with therespective receptacle connectors 108 to 111.

Flexible cables, not shown, for connecting the receptacle connectors 108to 111 to a main substrate, not shown, of the information processingapparatus 107 are mounted on a surface of the substrate 112, which isopposite to the surface where the receptacle connectors 108 to 111 areprovided. When the removable unit 101 is attached to theattachment/removal section 107 a, the connectors 103 a to 106 a forexternal connection, the receptacle connectors 108 to 111, and theflexible cables are brought into conduction with each other to form anelectric connection path. The information processing apparatus 107carries out recording and reproducing operations such as data readoutand writing through this path. In this way, the removable unit 101 isattached to the attachment/removal section 107 a, making it possible toaccess the storage media 103 to 106 housed in the removable unit 101.

Further, the removable unit 101 is provided with a cover 102 forinhibiting the storage medium 103 to 106 from being displaced in such adirection as to be ejected. The cover 102 is supported on the removableunit 101 such that it can rotate about a rotation center 102 c. When theremovable unit 101 is used in the state attached to the informationprocessing apparatus 107 as usual, the cover 102 is closed. The cover102 is opened for replacement of the storage media 103 to 106. Further,the cover 102 is normally urged in such a direction as to be opened;when right and left unlock levers 102 a are turned aside, the cover 102is opened, and when the opened cover 102 is closed into a predeterminedposition, the cover 102 is automatically inhibited from being opened, sothat the cover 102 can be kept closed until the unlock levers 102 a areturned aside again.

A description will now be given of how the storage media 103 to 106 arehoused in the removable unit 101.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a state in which the cover 102 is opened, andthe storage media 103 to 106 are housed in the housing section 100 ofthe removable unit 101. As shown in FIG. 14, when the cover 102 isopened, the housing section 100 is exposed. The housing section 100 iscomprised of four housing places where the respective storage media 103to 106 are housed. When the cover 102 is closed after the storage media103 to 106 are housed to be in the position of the storage medium 103shown in FIG. 12, the cover 102 urges rear edges of the storage media103 to 106, so that the storage media 103 to 106 are moved to respectivepredetermined positions. Then, if the cover 102 comes into apredetermined position, the cover 102 is locked to completely house thestorage media 103 to 106.

A description will now be given of a defect detecting method. Here, itis assumed that the storage media are hard disks.

FIG. 19 is a block diagram showing control functional blocks of theinformation processing apparatus 107 and the storage media 103 to 106housed in the removable unit 101. It should be noted that in thefollowing description, the storage medium 103 is regarded as arepresentative of the four storage media 103 to 106.

The information processing apparatus 107 and the storage media 103 to106 housed in the removable unit 101 are connected to each other via aninterface 137 to constitute a RAID system. As shown in FIG. 19, theinformation processing apparatus 107 is comprised of a CPU 138, a RAM140, a ROM 139, a storage device 143 comprised of a RAM with a backuppower source, an external connection interface 144 for connection toexternal peripheral devices, a plurality of interfaces 137 which areeach comprised of an LSI and are connected to the storage media 103 to106, a timer 142, a counter 141, a controller 136 for driving actuators121 to 124, and the actuators 121 to 124.

The ROM 139 stores control programs, in accordance with which the CPU138 controls the overall operation of the information processingapparatus 107 such as access to the storage medium 103. The RAM 140serves as a work area for operation of the CPU 138. The CPU 138 alsocontrols the storage medium 103 and the actuators 121 to 124.

On the other hand, the storage medium 103 is comprised of a CPU 130, aROM 131, a RAM 132, a recording disk section 134 including a magneticdisk and a determined information recording section 135 which recordsinformation determined by the CPU 130, and a timer 133. In accordancewith the result of determination by the CPU 130, the determinedinformation recording section 135 accumulatively stores the number oftimes an error has occurred, and accumulatively stores an operative timeperiod each time the storage medium 103 is operated. The ROM 103 storescontrol programs, in accordance with which the CPU 130 controls thestorage medium 103. The RAM 132 serves as a work area for operation ofthe CPU 130. The RAID system according to the present embodiment isconstructed as described above.

A description will now be given of failures in the storage medium 103,which are detected by the information processing apparatus 107.

First, “failure” means a state in which the number of times data is readout from and/or written into a hard disk has exceeded a predeterminednumber of times; e.g. a state in which data has been broken due to ascratch on the surface of a hard disk or the like, or a state in whichit is impossible to access a hard disk due to a failure in one or moreelectric parts within the hard disk. In this case, the storage medium103 cannot output failure information to the information processingapparatus 107, and hence detection of such a failure is carried out inthe information processing apparatus 107. The CPU 138 accesses thestorage medium 103 a predetermined number of times, causes the counter141 to count the number of times data has not been successfully read orwritten, and accumulatively stores the counted number of times in thestorage device 143. It is configured such that the counted number oftimes is monitored each time the storage medium is accessed, and whenthe counted number of times exceeds a predetermined number of times, itis determined that the storage medium 103 has failed. Also, the timer142 measures a period of time elapsed before a response is returnedafter the CPU 138 gives an instruction for accessing the storage medium103. If there is no response within a predetermined period of time, i.e.when time out, it is determined that the storage medium 103 has failed.

Secondly, even if data can be read and written though incompletely, itis determined that the storage medium 103 has failed when the operativestatus of each hard disk device or the status of a hard disk satisfiespredetermined conditions regarding predetermined determination items;e.g. when data reading/writing errors have occurred with a higherfrequency than a predetermined level, the number of defective sectorswhere reading/wiring is impossible has reached a predetermined number oftimes, or the accumulative operation time period has exceeded apredetermined period of time. In this case, the storage medium 103 canoutput failure information to the information processing apparatus 107,and hence detection of such a failure is carried out in the storagemedium 103, and information on the failure is transmitted to theinformation processing apparatus 107. Specifically, the timer 133measures a certain period of time, and the CPU 130 accesses thedetermined information recording section 135 at time intervalscorresponding to the measured period of time, so that the number oftimes an error has occurred, the number of defective sectors, and theoperation time period are accumulatively stored in the determinedinformation recording section 135. At the same time, each time the CPU130 accesses the determined information recording section 135, it ischecked whether any of the following conditions A to C is satisfied ornot, and if any of the conditions A to C is satisfied, failureinformation is output to the information processing apparatus 107, andthe CPU 138 determines that the storage medium 103 has failed:

A. the number of defective sectors is equal to or greater than L;

B. the number of times read/write errors have occurred is equal to orgreater than M; and

C. the accumulative operation time period is equal to or greater than N,

(L, N, and M are arbitrary positive integers).

In accordance with the received failure information, the informationprocessing apparatus 107 drives the actuators 121 to 124, describedlater (refer to FIG. 17).

A description will now be given of a process for operating arestricting/releasing mechanism of the information processing apparatus107, and releasing e.g. the storage medium 103 within the removable unit101 so as to enable displacement thereof.

FIG. 15 is a partially broken-away view showing therestricting/releasing mechanism of the removable unit 101, and FIG. 16is an enlarged view showing the restricting/releasing mechanism and anurging mechanism appearing in FIG. 15.

In FIGS. 15 and 16, a lock member 113 is rotatably supported by a shaftfixed to a housing for the removable unit 101. An end of the lock member113 is provided with a restricting part 113 a which is engaged in agroove 103 b of the storage medium 103 to inhibit displacement of thestorage medium 103. In the example shown in FIG. 15, the lock member 113lies in such a position as to restrict the displacement of the storagemedium 113, and when the restricting part 113 a rotates in a directionaway from the storage medium 113 to enable displacement of the storagemedium 113, the lock member 113 is positioned like a lock member 114.The storage media 103 to 106 are normally housed in the unlocked state.

The lock member 113 is supported by a connecting rod 117 which moves inresponse to the movement of the lock member 113. The connecting rod 117is supported such that it is guided by two pins fixed to the housing forthe removable unit 101 to move linearly from side to side. A part of theconnecting rod 117 is formed with a rack engaged with a pinion 118,which is rotatably supported by a shaft fixed to the housing for theremovable unit 101. The pinion 118 rotates in response to the movementof the connecting rod 117. Also, the pinion 118 is guided by two pinsfixed to the housing for the removable unit 101, and is engaged with arack formed on a part of a connecting rod 119 so as to move theconnecting rod 119. As is the case with the lock member 113, a lockmember 120 which restricts the displacement of the storage medium 103 issupported by the connecting rod 119 such that it moves in response tothe movement of the connecting rod 119. The lock member 113 and the lockmember 120 move in unison with each other. Therefore, when one of theconnecting rods 117 and 119 restricts the displacement of the storagemedium 103, the other one of them restricts the displacement of thestorage medium 103, too, and similarly, when one of the connecting rods117 and 119 does not restrict the displacement of the storage medium103, the other one of them does not restrict the displacement of thestorage medium 103, either. An inversion spring 127 having two stablestates is engaged with the connecting rods 117 and 119, and isselectively stopped in a restricted state (the first stable state), andan unrestricted state (the second stable state) in response to themovement of the connecting rods 117 and 119. When the inversion spring127 lies in the first or second stable state, the connecting rods 117and 119 and the mechanism moving in response to their movements maintaintheir current positions.

To release the storage medium 103 by applying an external force thereto,a surface 113 b of the lock member 113, for example, is urged to rotatethe lock member 113 until the inversion spring 127 comes into the firststable state. Conversely, to restrict the displacement of the storagemedium 103, a surface 113 c of the lock member 113 is urged to rotatethe lock member 113 until the inversion spring 127 comes into the secondstable state.

Further, as shown in FIG. 15, the removable unit 101 is provided withcompression springs 126 each of which urges the storage medium 103 inthe ejecting direction. When the storage medium 103 is housed, thecompression spring 126 is compressed, and the resulting reactive forceis applied to the storage medium 103. In this state, if the storagemedium 103 is held and the lock member 113 is operated, the lock member113 restricts the displacement of the storage medium 103, and thecompression spring 126 remains compressed, so that the reactive forceremains applied to the storage medium 103. Therefore, if the storagemedium 103 is released from its state locked by the lock member 113while the cover 102 is opened, the storage medium 103 is pushed out inthe ejecting direction. The removable unit 101 is also provided withlike restricting/releasing mechanisms such as lock members andmechanisms for urging the storage media 103 by compression springs inhousing locations where the other storage media 104 to 106 are housed.

In this way, the lock member 113 as well as the cover 102 restricts thedisplacement of the storage medium 103 in the ejecting direction.

A description will now be given of how the information processingapparatus 107 releases the storage medium 103 to enable displacementthereof.

FIG. 17 is a partially broken-away perspective view showing the removalunit 101 attached to the information processing apparatus 107 and theinterior of the information processing apparatus 107.

Among the actuators 121 to 124 such as motors and plungers, the actuator121 is disposed and fixed at such a position as to urge the surface 113b of the lock member 113 (refer to FIG. 15) intended for releasing, sothat when the actuator 121 is driven, the surface 113 can be urged. Asdescribed above, when the information processing apparatus 107 detects adefective storage medium, an actuator located at a positioncorresponding to the detected storage medium is selectively driven tocause the lock members 113 and 120 constituting the mechanism forlocking and releasing a defective storage medium from the groove 103 band a like groove of the storage medium 103, so that the storage medium103 is released. FIG. 17 shows a state in which the actuator 122 hasbeen driven to release the lock member 114.

A description will now be given of a state in which the removable unit101 in the state shown in FIG. 17 has been ejected.

FIG. 18 is a view showing a state in which the removable unit 101 hasbeen ejected from the information processing apparatus 107, and thecover 102 has been opened.

With the defective storage medium 104 being released, when the removableunit 101 is ejected from the information processing apparatus 107, andthe cover 102 is opened, the displacement of the defective storagemedium 104 is derestricted, and the above-mentioned compression springpushes out only the defective storage medium 104.

Since only the defective storage medium 104 is pushed out in theejecting direction as above, it is possible to reliably identify thedefective storage medium 104, and hold and replace the defective storagemedium 104, which realizes a high operability. Further, it goes withoutsaying that even if the removable unit 101 is attached to theinformation processing apparatus 107, it is possible to identify andreplace the defective storage medium 104 by the above described methodinsofar as the cover 102 is allowed to be opened.

FIGS. 20A and 20B are partially broken-away views showing a variation ofthe lock member 113 described with reference to FIG. 16.

A lock member 150 has substantially the same function as that of thelock member 113. The lock member 150 differs from the lock member 113 inthat there is provided a part to be urged 150 c. As shown in FIG. 20A,when the storage medium 103 becomes closer to the part to be urged 150c, the front face of the storage medium 103 urges the part to be urged150 c, so that the lock member 150 rotates about a rotation center 150b. As a result, a restricting part 150 a fits into the groove 103 b tolock the storage medium 103 as shown in FIG. 20B.

In this way, the front face of the storage medium 103 urges the part tobe urged 150 c to lock the storage medium 103.

In this way, the lock member 150 is stably kept in this state, so thatthe storage medium 103 can be kept locked insofar as the lock member 150does not rotate.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since adefective storage medium is displaced in the removable unit ejectingdirection and is clearly specified, it is possible to reliably identifythe defective storage medium without the need to supply electric powerto the removable unit and without relying on the memory of the locationof the defective storage medium indicated by the display part. Thiseliminates the possibility that a storage medium with no defects isejected by mistake. Further, since a defective storage medium is pushedout in the ejecting direction, it is much easier to replace thedefective storage medium.

A description will now be given of a storage media supporting deviceaccording to a third embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 21 and 22 are views showing the appearance of an informationprocessing apparatus c1 including a removable unit a1 as the storagemedia supporting device according to the present embodiment, and a unithousing section b1 which houses the removable unit a1. FIG. 21 shows astate in which the removable unit a1 is housed in the unit housingsection b1, and FIG. 22 shows a state in which the removable unit a1 hasbeen ejected from the unit housing section b1.

FIG. 23 is a view showing the construction of the unit housing sectionb1.

As shown in FIG. 23, a solenoid b2 is attached to a side of the unithousing section b1, and is activated in response to an instructionsignal from the information processing apparatus c1.

A description will now be given of the construction of the removableunit a1 with reference to FIG. 24.

The removable unit a1 is capable of housing up to four removable disksa2, and being directly housed in or removed from the unit housingsection b1 provided in the information processing apparatus c1, so thatthe removable unit a1 can be stored.

A cover unit comprised of a cover d1 and a handle d2 is attached to theentrance of a housing section in the removable unit a1, and is providedwith a lock mechanism including a hook e1. Also, a shaft f1 is mountedin a side wall a1-1 of the removable unit a1, so that the engagementbetween the shaft f1 and the lock mechanism restricts opening andclosing of the cover d1.

To eject the removable unit a1 from the information processing apparatusc1, the handle d2 is rotated upward about a handle shaft d3, and ispulled up.

FIGS. 26 to 31 show the construction of the lock mechanism whichrestricts opening and closing of the cover d1. FIGS. 26, 28, and 30 areperspective views showing the lock mechanism, although the cover d1 isnot illustrated. FIGS. 27, 29, and 31 are side views showing the lockmechanism.

A description will now be given of a sequence in which the cover d1 isreleased from the hook e1 so as to be opened and closed with referenceto FIGS. 26 to 31.

First, FIGS. 26 and 27 show a state in which the cover d1 is closed andlocked.

The hook e1 is rotatably fitted on a shaft e7 fixed to the cover d1, andis inhibited from falling off from the shaft e7 by an E ring e10. Atorsion coil spring e8 is also fitted on the shaft e7, and urges thehook e1 in a direction indicated by an arrow S2. Consequently, a naile1-2 provided on the hook e1 comes into contact with the shaft f1 fixedto the side wall a1-1 of the removable unit a1 appearing in FIG. 24.

A stopper e2 is rotatably fitted on a shaft e4 fixed to the cover d1,and is prevented from falling off from the shaft e4 by an E ring e11. Atorsion coil spring e3 is also fitted on the shaft e4, and urges thestopper e2 in a direction indicated by an arrow T1. A stopper e5 with aspring is inserted into a groove d1-1 formed in the cover d1, and isurged in a direction indicated by an arrow A2 by a spring e5-1 fitted inthe groove d1-1. An upper surface e2-1 of the stopper e2 is in urgingcontact with a lower surface e5-2 of the stopper e5. A cover stopper e6is provided to guide the stopper e5 and inhibit the stopper e5 fromfalling off.

When the hook e1 is rotated in a direction indicated by an arrow S1 fromthe illustrated state, a side face e1-1 of the hook e1 comes intocontact with an end e2-2 of the stopper e2 to restrict the rotation ofthe stopper e2. Therefore, the nail e1-2 provided on the hook e-1 cannotget away from the shaft f1, and the cover d1 is not opened.

FIGS. 28 and 29 show a state in which the solenoid b2 is operative.

When the solenoid b2 is operative, a solenoid shaft b2-1 of the solenoidb2 appearing in FIG. 23 moves in a direction indicated by an arrow A1.The stopper e5 is urged by the solenoid shaft b2-1 to move in thedirection indicated by the arrow A1. A groove e2-3 is provided for thestopper e2, into which the stopper e5 is fitted when it moves in thedirection indicated by the arrow A1. If the stopper e5 is fitted intothe groove e2-3, the stopper e2 is released from the stopper e5.

Since the stopper e2 is urged by the torsion coil spring e3, it rotatesin the direction indicated by the arrow T1. An upper surface e2-4 of thestopper e2 then comes into contact with a lower surface of the cover d1,and therefore, the stopper e2 stops rotating. A manual lever e9 isengaged with the stopper e2, and hence the rotation of the stopper e2 inthe direction indicated by the arrow T1 moves the manual lever e9 in adirection indicated by an arrow B1.

Then, the solenoid shaft b2-1 goes back in the direction indicated bythe arrow A2 while the stopper e2 remains stationary, and in this state,the removal unit a1 is ejected form the information processing apparatusc1 as shown in FIG. 22.

Then, to open the cover d1, the hook e1, which is then released from thestopper e2, is manually rotated in the direction indicated by the arrowS1 as shown in FIGS. 30 and 31 to release the hook e1 from the shaft f1connected to the side of the removable unit a1. This enables the coverd1 to be freely opened and closed until it is locked again.

Then, to lock the cover d1, the cover d1 is closed first, and then themanual lever e9 appearing in FIGS. 26 and 27 is pushed back in adirection indicated by an arrow B2, so that the stopper e2 is rotated ina direction indicated by an arrow T2. Since the stopper e5 fitted in thegroove e2-2 of the stopper e3 is urged by the spring e5-1, the stoppere5 moves in the direction indicated by the arrow A2 to be brought backinto the state in which the cover d1 is locked as shown in FIGS. 26 and27.

The solenoid b2 is operated in response to authentication by a userbased on a password input via a touch panel c2 as an input deviceprovided at the front of the information processing apparatus c1appearing in FIG. 21. Alternatively, a user may be authenticated basedon identification information such as an IC card or a fingerprint. If anauthenticating server is registered in advance, only an authenticateduser can open the cover d1 for the removable unit a1. Specifically, onlyan authenticated user can replace removable hard disks, and it istherefore possible to prevent unauthorized users from replacing diskswithout consent to make the removable unit a1 inoperative.

FIG. 32 is a flow chart showing a removable unit cover controllingprocess carried out when the removable unit a1 is attached to/removedfrom the information processing apparatus c1.

First, upon the issuance of an instruction for ejecting the removableunit a1 (an ejecting instruction) in a step S10, the process proceeds toa step S20 wherein the user is prompted to decide whether to open thecover d1 for the removable unit a1. If the user decides not to open thecover d1, the process proceeds to a step S50 where the user ejects theremovable unit al whose cover d1 cannot be opened from the informationprocessing apparatus c1.

On the other hand, if the user decides to open the cover d1, the processproceeds to a step S30 where the user is authenticated based on apassword or the like. The user inputs a password or the like registeredin advance, and if the user is authenticated based on the password, theprocess proceeds to a step S40. In the step S40, the solenoid b2 isoperated to unlock the cover d1. Then, the user ejects the removableunit a1 whose cover d1 can be opened from the information processingapparatus c1.

On the other hand, if the password is not verified in the step S30, theprocess proceeds to a step S31 where the count value of a counter cwhich counts the number of times the user has input a password ischecked. If the count value of the counter c is not less than 3, theprocess proceeds to a step S34 where the counter c is reset (to “0”),and the process proceeds to a step S50.

On the other hand, if the count value of the counter c is smaller than3, the process proceeds to a step S32 where the counter c is incrementedby 1, and the process proceeds to a step S33. In the step S33, the useris prompted to decide whether the user inputs a password once again ornot. If the user decides to give up (inputting a password), the processproceeds to the step S50, and on the other hand, if the use decides toinput a password once again, the process proceeds to the step S30.Namely, a password can be verified up to three times in the step S30.

Referring next to FIGS. 33A and 33B, a description will be given ofoperations performed by a user when he/she ejects the removable unit a1whose cover d1 can be opened (in the state shown in FIGS. 28 and 29)from the information processing apparatus c1.

First, as shown in FIG. 33A, the user rotates the hook e1, which locksthe cover d1 for the removable unit al, in a direction indicated by thearrow S1 to unlock the cover d1 (refer to FIGS. 30 and 31).

Then, as shown in FIG. 33B, the cover d1 is rotated in a directionindicated by an arrow U to open the cover d1. Then, the user carries outsuch operations as replacement of removable disks a2. Upon thecompletion of the operations, the user closes the cover d1, and pushesthe manual lever e9 in the direction indicated by the arrow B2 to lockthe cover d1.

It should be noted that once the manual lever e9 has been pushed to lockthe cover d1, the lock mechanism is brought into the state shown in FIG.26, so that the cover d1 cannot be manually unlocked.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, since theremovable unit is provided with the openable and closable cover forrestricting the ejection of storage media, so that the storage media canbe prevented from being attached/removed by mistake, and also can beprevented from being lost or stolen. This improves security for storageof data. Further, since it is possible for a user to decide whether thecover for the removable unit is to be locked or unlocked while theremovable unit is attached to the information processing apparatus,there is no necessity of providing a physical key for the removableunit, and providing an actuator which unlocks the cover. Therefore, theremovable unit can be simplified in construction.

Further, in the case where the removable unit is shared by a pluralityof users, authenticated users who can open the openable and closablecover are registered in advance based on their passwords or the like,and this makes it easier to manage data, and improves security.

1. An information processing apparatus to which a storage mediasupporting device supporting at least one storage medium is removablyattached, comprising: connecting means for electrically connecting tothe storage medium within the storage media supporting device when thestorage media supporting device is attached to the informationprocessing apparatus; contents detecting means for detecting contents ofdata stored in the storage medium via said connecting means; controlmeans for changing a visible identifier provided on the storage mediasupporting device into a state corresponding to a result of detection bysaid contents detecting means; and setting means operable before thestorage media supporting device is removed from the informationprocessing apparatus, to set in advance whether the identifier is to bemanually changeable in a state in which the storage media supportingdevice has been removed.
 2. An information processing apparatusaccording to claim 1, further comprising driving means for transmittinga changing force to the identifier of the storage media supportingdevice attached to the information processing apparatus; and whereinsaid contents detecting means detects whether at least one storagemedium stores system data for activating a RAID system in a case where aplurality of storage media are supported in the storage media supportingdevice; and said control means causes said driving means to change theidentifier into such a state as to indicate that at least one storagemedium stores the system data when said contents detecting means detectsthat at least one storage medium stores the system data.
 3. Aninformation processing apparatus according to claim 1, furthercomprising: identifier detecting means for detecting the identifier ofthe storage media supporting device attached to the informationprocessing apparatus; and selecting means for selecting a way ofaccessing the storage medium within the storage media supporting deviceaccording to a result of detection by said identifier detecting means.4. An information processing apparatus according to claim 3, whereinsaid identifier detecting means detects a shape or a color of theidentifier.
 5. An information processing apparatus according to claim 1,further comprising inhibiting means for inhibiting the storage mediumfrom being ejected from the storage media supporting device when saidsetting means makes a setting in advance such that the identifier is notto be manually changeable in the state in which the storage mediasupporting device has been removed.
 6. An information processingapparatus according to claim 2, wherein said control means causes saiddriving means to change the identifier into such a state as to indicatethat the storage medium has been ejected from the storage mediasupporting device when the storage medium is ejected from the storagemedia supporting device attached to the information processingapparatus.
 7. A storage media supporting device that supports at leastone storage medium and is removably attached to an informationprocessing apparatus, comprising: a housing; a visible identifierprovided on said housing; and transmitting means for transmittingcontents of data stored in the storage medium to the informationprocessing apparatus according to control provided by the informationprocessing apparatus when the storage media supporting device isattached to the information processing apparatus; wherein saididentifier is changed according to control provided by the informationprocessing apparatus into a state corresponding to a result of detectionby the information processing apparatus based on the contents of datatransmitted by said transmitting means; and wherein before the storagemedia supporting device is removed from the information processingapparatus, it is set in advance whether said identifier is to bemanually changeable in a state in which the storage media supportingdevice has been removed.
 8. A storage media supporting device accordingto claim 7, wherein said identifier is a rotatable body comprisingdisplay patterns identified according to shapes or colors.
 9. A storagemedia supporting device according to claim 7, wherein said identifier ischanged into such a state as to indicate presence of system data foractivation of a RAID system when the information processing apparatusdetects that at least one storage medium stores the system data.
 10. Astorage media supporting device according to claim 7, wherein thestorage medium is inhibited from being ejected from the storage mediasupporting device when a setting is made in advance such that saididentifier is not to be manually changeable in the state in which thestorage media supporting device has been removed.
 11. A storage mediasupporting device according to claim 7, wherein said identifier ischanged into such a state as to indicate that the storage medium hasbeen ejected from the storage media supporting device when the storagemedium is ejected from the storage media supporting device.
 12. Anidentifier changing method executed by an information processingapparatus to which a storage media supporting device supporting at leastone storage medium is removably attached, comprising the steps of:electrically connecting the information processing apparatus to thestorage medium within the storage media supporting device when thestorage media supporting device is attached to the informationprocessing apparatus; detecting contents of data stored in the storagemedium; changing a visible identifier provided on the storage mediasupporting device into a state corresponding to a result of detection insaid detecting step; and setting in advance whether the identifier is tobe manually changeable in a state in which the storage media supportingdevice has been removed before the storage media supporting device isremoved from the information processing apparatus.